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Ellen G. White (1827–1915) is revered by Seventh-day
Adventists as a prophet and messenger of God
who left a legacy of 25 million words,
including 53 books, when she died in 1915.
But, what was the source of her writings? Was she
under the influence of the Holy Spirit when
she wrote her many books, or did she simply
copy large amounts of materials from other
writers and then say God gave her those
words?
Ellen White’s
defenders in the Seventh-day Adventist Church argue
that she was no less of a prophet because
she used
other writers’
material selectively under
the influence of the Holy Spirit, just as
the Old Testament writings sometimes came
from ancient sources and the New Testament
authors of Jude and Revelation used some
material from apocryphal literature.
The question is one of honesty. Was Ellen
White honest about her use of other peoples’
writings, or was she deliberately deceptive
and did she try to hide her over-whelming
use of words and concepts from authors of
her day and earlier? Was her borrowing
common place as many in the Seventh-day
Adventist Church like to say, or was her borrowing
really literary theft on a grand scale? You
decide.
Ellen G. White’s
book, “Sketches from the Life of Paul” was
stolen from “The Life and Epistles of St
Paul” by W. J. Conybeare and J. S. Howson.
The lawsuit filed against Ellen G. White
and her publisher, the Review and Herald, by
Conybeare and Howson, a major publisher in
the nineteenth century, which documented
extensive plagiarism by Ellen G. White in
her book, “Sketches from the Life of Paul”,
was one of the clearest pieces of evidence
that they were guilty of illegal copyright
infringement.
“In 1883 the Adventist
denomination published a book entitled
Sketches from the Life of Paul, by Ellen G.
White. Problems arose almost from the start,
when the striking similarities between
Ellen’s new book and the book The Life and
Epistles of St. Paul by the British authors
W. J. Conybeare and J. S. Howson (1852) were
being discovered. In fact, the similarities
were so striking that Conybeare and Howson
threatened the Adventist denomination with a
lawsuit if the book was not withdrawn. After
several denials, as usual, Sketches was
eventually withdrawn.
But in
the introduction to “Sketches from the Life
of Paul”, the Seventh-day Adventist publishers wrote
this:
“The
writer of this book, having received special
help from the Spirit of God, is able to
throw light upon the teachings of Paul and
their application to our own time, as no
other authors are prepared to do. She has
not suffered herself to be drawn aside to
discuss theories, or to indulge in
speculation. No extraneous matter is
introduced. Consequently much that is
contained in other books, which is
interesting to the curious, and has a
certain value, but which is after all little
more than theory, finds no place in this
work.” (Life Sketches from the Life of Paul,
introduction.) …
It is an
undisputable fact that great portions of
Sketches had been “borrowed” from Conybeare
and Howson’s work, and doctored the usual
way by Ellen Whites “borrowing staff” before
going to press. In spite of this, the
introduction claims in plain words that no
external material had been used!
“The
truth is that Ellen had used the other
author’s material from beginning to end with
little let-up. More recent comparisons
indicate that paraphrasing of Conybeare and
Howson’s book is evident in structure,
words, paragraphs, and even pages of
material.” (Walter Rea, The White Lie, p.
110.)
During the 1919 Bible
Conference, Arthur G. Daniells commented on
this,
“A. G. Daniells:
Yes; and now take that “Life of Paul,” - I
suppose you all know about it and knew what
claims were put up against her, charges made
of plagiarism, even by the authors of the
book, Conybeare and Howson, and were liable
to make the denomination trouble because
there was so much of their book put into
“The Life of Paul” without any credit or
quotation marks. Some people of strict logic
might fly the track on that ground, but I am
not built that way. I found it out, and I
read it with Brother Palmer when he found
it, and we got Conybeare and Howson, and we
got Wylie’s “History of the Reformation,”
and we read word for word, page after page,
and no quotations, no credit, and really I
did not know the difference until I began to
compare them. I supposed it was Sister
White’s own work. The poor sister said,
“Why, I didn’t know about quotations and
credits. My secretary should have looked
after that, and the publishing house should
have looked after it.” (1919 Bible
Conference, statement by A.G. Daniells.)”
[1]
The Seventh-day Adventist Church kept
this book off the market until the
copyrights ran out on the book “The Life and
Epistles of St. Paul” by Conybeare and
Howson and then the Seventh-day Adventist
Church started selling “Sketches from the
Life of Paul” again with no references to
Ellen White stealing the materials. The
Seventh-day Adventist Church loves to make
money off of this fraudulent woman.
The
White Lie by Walter Rea
“The
Ground-breaking book that has shaken the
foundations of the Seventh-day Adventist
Church. “Ellen Gould White in the mid 1800s
began a career that led to her becoming the
acknowledged “personage” of the Seventh-day
Adventist Church. A century and a quarter
afterward, in the mid-1970s, one of her
longtime devotees began to disclose evidence
from his research that raised sobering
questions as to the official church position
on Ellen White.... This book grew out of the
author’s own quest for answers to compelling
questions concerning this woman.... The
White Lie reveals a portion of Walter Rea’s
evidence that much of what several
generations have been taught concerning
Ellen White’s writings simply is not true --
or at the minimum, it is enormously
overstated. The books of numerous writers of
her time, and earlier, are known to have
been accessible to her. The large number of
them that were in personal collection at her
death in 1915 were inventoried and have been
available to the White Estate staff.”
[2]
Walter Rea’s research into plagiarism
(literary theft) by Ellen White was
overwhelming for the Seventh-day Adventist
Church. The White Estate’s first reaction
was to try to cover it up and it eventually
led to Walter Rea being dismissed from the
Church for revealing the truth.
Rea
has included in his book hundreds of pages
of side-by-side comparisons of Ellen White’s
writings to passages from other books
published before hers. She had nearly 400
books in her personal library and she made
use of many.
The Desire of Ages,
1898, one of Ellen’s most beautifully
written books, did not originate with her.
Walter Rea shows side by side comparisons
from all these books that were copied to
produce The Desire of Ages:
• The
Great Teacher, John Harris 1836
• The
Life & Times of Jesus the Messiah, Alfred
Edersheim 1883
• The Life of Christ,
William Hanna 1863
• The Life of Christ,
Frederic W. Farrar 1877
• Walks and Homes
of Jesus, Daniel March 1856
• Night
Scenes in the Bible, Daniel March 1868-1870
• The Life of Our Lord and Savior Jesus
Christ, John Fleetwood 1844
• The Life
and Works of Christ, Cunningham Geikie 1883
While there had been earlier allegations
of plagiarism against Ellen G. White, Walter
Rea’s book, The White Lie, claimed that up
to 80 or 90% of White’s writings were
plagiarized. Rea was the first to document
the extent of this borrowing, citing 75
books White depended on. The Adventist
denomination has responded to these charges
in various venues. The church has continued
to address related challenges in relation to
understanding White’s inspiration, questions
on the extent of the literary borrowing and
its distinction to plagiarism, and issues of
integrity in the absence of illegality.
“All of these issues concerning Ellen
White wouldn’t matter so much if only she
had claimed to be just another Christian
writer and her followers believed the same.
But she claimed that she had a direct
connection with God, received thousands of
visions and at times had an angel standing
next to her showing her what to write. This
puts her a cut above all the rest. And it
makes her an inspired prophet of God as
officially held by the Seventh-Day Adventist
church.”
[3]
The charge of plagiarism was
correctly made
against Ellen G. White
her entire life.
This extract is from an article that
appeared in the Healdsburg California
newspaper in 1889.
Webster
defines Plagiarist as follows:
“One that
purloins the writings of another and puts
them off as his own.” Plagiarism,
according to the same authority, is: “The
act of purloining another man’s literary
works, or introducing passages from another
man’s writings and putting them off as one’s
own; literary theft.”
“We desire in
this article to compare a few extracts from
the following books: “History of the
Sabbath,” (Andrews); “Life of Wm. Miller,”
(White); “History of the Waldenses,”
(Wylie); “The Sanctuary” (Smith) and “History of the Reformation” (D’Aubigne),
with corresponding extracts from Mrs.
White’s “Great Controversy,” [Spirit of
Prophecy] Vol. IV, in order to see if Mrs.
White has “introduced passages from another
man’s writings and put them off as her own.”
If she has done this, then, according to
Webster, Mrs. White is a plagiarist, a
literary thief. ... ”
After
documenting numerous examples of copying,
the article went on to say,
“Now we ask,
Would not any literary critic judging from
the quotations adduced and a comparison of
the passages indicated from the quotations
indicated, conclude that Mrs. White in
writing her “Great Controversy,” Vol. IV had
before her the open books and from them took
both ideas and words? We ask the candid
reader if we have sustained our position.
Does she not stand convicted of “introducing
passages from another man’s writings and
putting them as her own”? If so, we have
proved the point at issue, and, according to
Webster, Mrs. White is a plagiarist, a
literary thief.”
[4]
From the earliest days of the
Seventh-day Adventist Church, Ellen G. White
was rightfully being accused of plagiarism.
God has warned us about false prophets
stealing the words of others as if they were
their own.
Jeremiah 23:30 says,
“Therefore, behold, I am against the
prophets, declares the LORD, who steal my
words from one another.”
Look at what
Ellen G. White has said about herself and
her gift of prophecy:
Her work was that of a
prophet and more.
“My work
includes much more than this name
signifies. I regard myself as
a messenger, entrusted by the Lord
with messages for His people.” —
Letter 55, 1905, Selected Messages,
book 1, pp. 32, 35, 36.
“I am now instructed that I am not
to be hindered in my work by those
who engage in suppositions regarding
its nature, whose minds are
struggling with so many intricate
problems connected with the supposed
work of a prophet.
My
commission embraces the work of a
prophet, but it does not end there.
It embraces much more than the minds
of those who have been sowing the
seeds of unbelief can comprehend.” —
Letter 244, 1906. Addressed to
elders of the Battle Creek church;
See Selected Messages, book 1, pp.
34-36.
She said to
disagree with her writings was an
act of rebellion against God
Himself.
“If you seek to turn aside the
counsel of God to suit yourselves,
if you lessen the confidence of
God’s people in the testimonies He
has sent them, you are rebelling
against God as were Korah, Dathan,
and Abriam.” — Testimonies for the
Church 5, p. 66.
“Yet, now when I send you a
testimony of warning and reproof,
many of you declare it to be merely
the opinion of Sister White. You
thereby insulted the Spirit of God.”
— Testimonies for the Church 5, p.
64.
“If they [her testimonies] are not
heeded, the Holy Spirit is shut away
from the soul.” — Selected Messages
1, p. 46.
“If you lose confidence in the
Testimonies you will drift away from
Bible truth. I have been fearful
that many would take a questioning,
doubting position, and in my
distress for your souls I would warn
you. How many will heed the warning?
As you now hold the Testimonies,
should one be given crossing your
track, correcting your errors, would
you feel at perfect liberty to
accept or reject any part or the
whole? That which you will be least
inclined to receive is the very part
most needed.” — Testimonies for the
Church 5, p. 98 (1882).
Ellen White claimed she only
wrote what God gave her.
“Weak and trembling, I arose at
three o’clock in the morning to
write to you. God was speaking
through clay. You might say that
this communication was only a
letter. Yes, it was a letter, but
prompted by the Spirit of God, to
bring before your minds things that
had been shown me. In these letters
which I write, in the testimonies I
bear, I am presenting to you that
which the Lord has presented to me.”
— Selected Messages 1, pp. 27, 28.
“These books contain clear,
straight, unalterable truth and they
should certainly be appreciated. The
instruction they contain is not of
human production.” — Letter H-339,
Dec. 26, 1904
“These books, giving the instruction
that the Lord has given me during
the last sixty years, contain light
from heaven, and will bear the test
of investigation.” — Selected
Messages, Book 1, p. 35, 1906
“In these letters which I write, in
the testimonies I bear, I am
presenting to you that which the
Lord has presented to me. I do not
write one article in the paper
expressing merely my own ideas. They
are what God has opened before me in
vision—the precious rays of light
shining from the throne.” —
Testimonies for the Church 5, p. 67.
“It has been presented to me that,
so far as possible, I am to impart
instruction in the language of the
Scriptures; for there are those
whose spiritual discernment is
confused, and when their errors are
reproved, they will misinterpret and
misapply what I might write, and
thus make of none-effect the words
of warning that the Lord sends. He
desires that the messages He sends
shall be recognized as the words of
eternal truth.” — Letter 280, 1906,
p. 4.
“I beg of you for Christ’s sake to
consider what I say; for I say it
not of myself. It is the word of God
to you.” — Letter 25b, 1895, pp.
1-3, to Brother and Sister Hare,
April, 1895.
Ellen
White said her writings establish
present truth.
“I am thankful that the instruction
contained in my books establishes
present truth for this time. These
books were written under the
demonstration of the Holy Spirit.” —
Letter 50, 1906.
Ellen White said her writings bears
“the stamp of God or the stamp of
the enemy.”
“There is one straight chain of
truth without one heretical sentence
in that which I have written.” —
Selected Messages Book 3, p. 52.
“God is either teaching His church,
reproving their wrongs and
strengthening their faith, or He is
not. This work is of God, or it is
not. God does nothing in partnership
with Satan. My work... bears the
stamp of God or the stamp of the
enemy. There is no halfway work in
the matter. The Testimonies are of
the Spirit of God, or of the devil.”
— Testimonies for the Church 4, p.
230. |
You have to decide for yourself:
Was Ellen White a true prophet
of God for the last days, or was she a false
prophet? There is no middle ground! Ellen
White herself said her work either “bears
the stamp of God or the stamp of the enemy.”
Seventh-day Adventists are quick to tell
people that the denomination hired a lawyer
to investigate the charge of plagiarism
against Ellen White and he found Ellen did
not illegally plagiarize from other authors
in her writings. Seventh-day Adventists will
also tell you that there were no strict copyright
laws against plagiarism in the 1800s. Both
claims are false. Why did the Church
copyright Ellen’s books as early as the 1880s if there were no copyright
protections? How could Conybeare and Howson
threaten a lawsuit against the Seventh-day
Adventist Church if no laws were broken? Why
did the Seventh-day Adventist Church pull
“Sketches from the Life of Paul”
off the market
if no crime was committed?
Why would the Church pull Ellen White’s book
over concerns about literary theft and begin
publishing it again as soon as the book,
“The Life and Epistles of St Paul”
copyrights had run out without giving credit
to the original authors, especially since
the charge of plagiarism was already well
known regarding that work? God has warned us
about false prophets who steal the words of
others (Jer. 23:30) and Ellen White did
that consistently throughout her entire
life and ministry.
Did the authors of the
Bible steal their writings from other
people?
Robert Brinsmead
was correct when he said, “It is true that
there is evidence of literary borrowing by
different biblical authors. But in such
cases they used material that was the
heritage and common property of the
covenantal community. It was not private
property, and there was no pretense of
originality. With Mrs. White, however, the
circumstances were much different. Without
acknowledgment she used the literary product
of those outside her own religious
community, copyrighted it, and demanded
royalties both for herself and her children.
Right and wrong are to some extent
historically conditioned, but we do not have
to surmise the literary ethics demanded in
Mrs. White’s day. The facts are not
ambiguous. She did not conform to acceptable
literary practices.”
[5]
I strongly recommend
the book, “Ellen G. White A Psychobiography”
by Steve Daily.
“This
explosive work contains a great deal of
highly documented material on the life and
movement of Ellen G. White that Adventists
in general, to say nothing of the public,
will not know. The book is not a classic
psychobiography, although history and
psychology are the primary disciplines
employed. It also contains a sprinkling of
theology and personal reflection to make it
a unique blend. The most striking evidence
presented raises major questions about the
prophet’s mental and moral health. It is a
must read for anyone who truly wants to
understand Seventh-Day Adventism and its
prophetic founder.”
[6]
Seventh-day
Adventists believe their church co-founder,
Ellen G. White was inspired by God and had
the New Testament “gift of prophecy.” “This
gift is an identifying mark of the remnant
church and we believe it was manifested in
the ministry of Ellen G. White. Her writings
speak with prophetic authority and provide
comfort, guidance, instruction, and
correction to the church...”
[7]
Those
are all bold claims about Ellen G. White and
her self-proclaimed gift of prophecy. But what kind of
person steals the writings from other people
and then tries to pass those writings off as
authoritative and the Word of God? From what
you have learned, can the Seventh-day
Adventist Church be trusted to guide you in
spiritual matters? Can Ellen G. White be
trusted to lead you as an inspired source,
and spokesperson for God? What kind of
prophet was she?
If you would
like to investigate this further, here are some good
resources on
the life-long plagiarism of Ellen G. White:
Is
Mrs. E.G. White a Plagiarist?
This article appeared in the Healdsburg
California newspaper all the way back in
1889 cataloging the literary theft of Ellen
White.
https://www.nonsda.org/egw/egw77.shtml
Plagiarism In the Writings of
Ellen G White: This material
regarding the writings of Ellen G. White is
part of a Field Guide profile on Seventh-day
Adventism.
https://www.isitso.org/guide/sdaplag.html
The Washington Post: 1980
article entitled, “Seventh-day Adventist
Prophet White Is Called Plagiarist.”
https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/local/1980/11/07/seventh-day-adventist-prophet-white-is-called-plagiarist/c7bf9005-37d7-48b1-acbb-18db444e376d/
Truth or Fables: Bible
Contradictions, Plagiarism, Failed Visions
of Ellen G. White.
http://www.truthorfables.com/menu/subjectsa-1.html
Investigate Ellen White’s
Plagiarism:
This page presents
the following evidence: 1) Ellen White
copied extensively from others while denying
she did so. 2) All the major thoughts and
ideas in her writings were derived from
others and 3) She copied both truths and
falsehoods into her writings.
https://www.nonsda.org/egw/plagiarism.html
Ellen G. White, Prophet or
Plagiarist?
Ellen G. White was a
prolific writer of about 10,000 pages of
“inspired writings.” In the early 1980’s the
denomination was almost torn apart when it
was proven that about most of what Ellen
White wrote was copied from other works that
predated her own.
https://www.bible.ca/7-plagiarism.htm
Ellen G. White found guilty of
plagiarism (copying)
https://www.bible.ca/7-WL-exhibits-image-Wylie.htm
Common Arguments used by SDA’s
to Defend Mrs. White’s Plagiarism
https://www.nonsda.org/egw/egw6.shtml
Who was Ellen G. White?
This is an excellent short article from
GotQuestions.org
https://www.gotquestions.org/Ellen-G-White.html
Seventh-day Adventism and the
Writings of Ellen G. White: This is
a large collection of prophecies and
quotations from Ellen G. White by Former
Seventh-day Adventist pastor, J. Mark
Martin.
https://www.exadventist.com/book/
Read Ellen G. White’s book, “Sketches from the Life of
Paul” at:
https://media2.egwwritings.org/pdf/en_LP.pdf
Read the book, “The Life and Epistles of
St. Paul” that Ellen G. White stole “Sketches from the Life of Paul” from at:
https://www.gracenotes.info/paul/paul.pdf
References:
1. For more
information on “Sketches from the Life of
Paul”
see:
https://www.isitso.org/guide/sdaplag.html
cf.
https://nonsda.org/egw/lifeofpaul.shtml
2. The White Lie By Walter Rea can be
purchased at:
https://www.amazon.com/White-Lie-Walter-T-Rea/dp/0960742409
3. From:
Examination of the Prophetic Claims of Ellen
G. White by Tim Sly.
4. Ellen White’s Plagiarism:
https://www.nonsda.org/egw/plagiarism.html
5. Robert Brinsmead, “Judged by the Gospel”
p. 172.
6. Ellen
G. White A Psychobiography, by Steve Daily
can be purchased at:
https://www.amazon.com/s?k=Ellen+G.+White+A+Psychobiography
7. From the “Official Beliefs of the
Seventh-day Adventist Church” Belief #18: The
Gift of Prophecy:
https://www.adventist.org/gift-of-prophecy
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